A decent quarter thanks to the success of Qcom Technology. Unfortunately, only when qcom obtains and implements quality management of the enterprise will we shareholders be rewarded. Qcom mangement is stuffing a buck or two a share in my front pocket today. But I have not lost sight that qcom management stole my wallet the first half of the year, using it for such things as defraying the cost of Dr. PJ's trip to Davos (when he should have been leading the disasterous Quartely Conference Call), as well as using it for excessive compensation for he and his management team in March as they continued their mediocre management of the business as this quarter results reflect.
The costs all add up, but I'm sure there is fat to cut to bring up margins.
Most all of us agree that we don't want qualcomm concentrating on managing shareholder cash; but unfortunately the bigger qcom becomes, the more they are in the business of not only managing cash, but the operating expenses. Both require a like competency. Unfortunately, the Qcom management team has not gained the maturity to manage a mature company.Lets take a look:
Qualcomm’s FLO TV business makes up a majority of its Qualcomm (NSDQ: QCOM) Strategic Initiatives group, which in the third quarter, reported $118 million in operating expenses (primarily related to FLO TV), it said.
That's $400M this year down the rat hole for FLOP TV. I don't know how much last year, or the year before, or how much next year before they dump it. Plus the $1.2B we have tied up in owning the frequency. Also,as you state QTL expenses are now around $175 million a quarter during a period of relative patent peace. Up from $50m 2 years ago.To put that in proper perspective, FLO-TV expenses are twice what QTL expenses were two years ago, with nil benefit. Do we see a trend? Bear with me while I quote from the most relevant part of my post of 11/27/2008 on this tread; as if it was today: "It is apparent that QCOM is not addressing the former cost increases in R&D, which were at an increased level; they are not addressing the current increase in R&D; and they are exacerbating the situation by not addressing the increase in future R&D. It is instructive that this is only an example of a failure to control costs in one area (R&D), but it also indicates that the cancer of overhead increases are spreading througout qcom; and not being adequately treated. Bottom line (no pun intended), these out of control overhead costs have a material effect on past earnings, and a material detrimental compounding effect on future earnings."
The compounding effect referred to in the prior post is now evident as shareholder money wastefully spills out like the oil in the gulf; and qualcomm management can't seem to put a cap on it after several years.i. |
